Country Living Home Designs

Country Living Home Designs

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Country living room ideas

Country living room ideas that you needn't live in a house in the country to copy.

Country houses have inspired everyone from Jane Austen and Evelyn Waugh to The Kinks and Blur - now it's your turn. Our collection of the very best living room designs from country houses will reveal quite how versatile the style can be: it works beautifully in both cosy cottages and grand houses, in tiny rooms and large spaces, in rich reds and soft greens. You needn't live in a house in the country for this look to be successful!

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  Simon Upton

  The main living room in this Wiltshire farmhouse has an inglenook fireplace, with fifteenth-century firedogs and an eighteenth-century fire back added by the owner, Ken. "All of our soft furnishings were bought either in Sweden or Morocco while we were on our travels,' says Ken. Cologne & Cotton's 'Merino & Cashmere Checked Throw' would add a dose of comfort and texture much like the checked throw on the chair in the main sitting room. Made in Ireland, it costs £140.

• Paul Massey

  The living room of textiles dealer Susan Deliss' French country home is painted a soft blue, this perfectly counterbalances the busy prints of the fabrics she has chosen to decorate with. The red sofa, from George Smith, looks fabulous covered in a vibrant collection of cushions. This is an eccentric take on the classic French country look.

• Paul Massey

  The sitting room of Susan Deliss's house in France has blue walls, which sit in soft contrast with the original, geometric patterned floor tiles. An eighteenth-century French panel hangs over the grand marble chimneypiece and an antique cabinet provides stylish DVD storage. Follow Deliss and make the most of original features: even if they seem a little whacky, the floor in this country living room for example, there is a way to make it work - try toning down another area of the room or opting for plain walls rather than wallpaper.

• Paul Massey

  In his Hampshire farmhouse, antiques dealer and decorator Max Rollitt has chosen to fill his cosy living room with antiques. This creates a lovely lived-in feel that is typical of a country style living room.

• Paul Massey

  Blue Living Room with Comfortable Armchair | Living Room Design Ideas

  In the blue living room of Susan Deliss' French country house, a striped ottoman is used as a coffee table. Comfortable armchairs and sofas sit next to Moroccan side tables. The scheme is French countryside meets bohemia, traditional with a turn towards the Moorish. This is an exciting interpretation of country style and one that is easy to mimic at home. Get yourself going with the addition of a kilim, then perhaps add some touches of mother of pearl, some rich jewel tones, a flash of paisley, we could go on...

• Simon Brown

  The living room of Ptolemy Dean's home in Sussex, is painted in Farrow & Ball's 'Light Blue.' This tone clashes wonderfully with the rust red ottoman from Teasal England (used here as a coffee table). In true country style, this room is meant to be comfortable rather than grand. The large mirror above the fireplace was a lucky find from Long Street Antiques in Tetbury and the kilim-covered sofa is from Settle.

• Simon Upton

  The drawing room at Bowood House, Wiltshire, was designed by John Fowler. The walls are lined in cotton cream damask; a perfect complement to the pretty patterned sofa and cushions. Huge sash windows let in an enourmous amount of natural light. The trefoil stool was added by owner Fiona. You may not be able to copy the grand scale of Bowood but the scheme of soft pastels and gold would work wonderfully in a living room of any shape or size.

• Simon Upton

  In the living room of Bowood House, Wiltshire, the dogs relax on a sheepskins and comfortable armchairs. The animals look relaxed and comfortable, just as you should in a country style living room. The soft terracotta-hued Cole & Son wallpaper was specially printed from its archive collection and the fireplace is surrounded by a traditional club fender.

• Antiques dealer and decorator Max Rollitt has a living filled with antiques in his eclectic Hampshire farmhouse. The traditional room is painted with Edward Bulmer's 'Lilac Pink.' This is a warm-toned shade, perfect for country houses.

• This library can be found in the home of American artist Anne Massie's house is cosy despite the apparent lack of soft furnishing. The wood panelling and floor are both rich in colour, almost red, and this adds warmth to the room. Paintings are hung in gallery style which makes the space feel nicely full. The books, patterned chairs and gorgeous rug are the perfect finishing touches.

• Andrew Montgomery

  The drawing room at Faringdon House is on the grander side of traditional country style. The sunny yellow of the walls does, however, stop the scheme from being imposing and the lovely brick-red rug bring further warmth into what could be a draughty or austere living space.

• Michael Sinclair

  In their Twickenham home, Lady Wakefield and her late husband Peter decided to move the drawing room to the first floor. Here, they created a comfortable space with panelled walls and purposely unmatched furnishings that mix well with paintings and objects acquired over the past three decades. The sofa is strewn with a cosy collection of needlepoint cushions. Lady Wakefield proves that you needn't be in the country to achieve the country look.

• Michael Sinclair

  This drawing room in the Twickenham home of Lady Wakefield, has three tall Georgian windows that perfectly frame the greenery of the garden. The full-length floral-print curtains from Colefax and Fowler help to bring to outside in. Try traditional florals in your living room for a touch of the countryside.

• Rachael Smith

  At the back of interior designer Louise Jones' Victorian cottage there is an informal sitting room with views to the garden, the perfect place to finish your book or binge on a boxset. In the original part of the house the living room has a warm palette, with walls painted in a pale ochre by DKT Artworks and complementary checked curtains from Handicraft Haveli in Jaipur.

• Michael Sinclair

  In her London home, Lady Wakefield and her late husband Peter decided to move their drawing room to the first floor. Here, they created a comfortable, country-inspired space with panelled walls and mismatched upholstery. The furnishings mix well with paintings and objects acquired by the couple over three decades. Two rugs from Turkey demarcate separate sitting areas, while bookshelves on either side of the original marble chimneypiece display ceramics from Iran. To replicate this kooky country look at home you don't need a lot of money, just patience and a magpie's eye!

• Simon Brown

  In the morning room of Ugbrooke Park, a sofa and armchair, both covered in fabrics from Claremont, are positioned around an ottoman topped with a leopard-print rug. A column lamp from Vaughan sits on the console table at the side of the sofa. The overall effect is countryside meets luxury.

• Paul Massey

  In the drawing room of Clare Mosley's Georgian house, the atmosphere is warm and cosy, especially with the fireplace lit. Chimneypieces were truffle-hunted from the backyards of various dealers in north London, since the owners were very particular that these should be of the same period as the house. The light in front of the right window was once an aspidistra stand, which Mark converted. The sofa is from George Sherlock.

• Simon Brown

  In the drawing room of Ugbrooke Park, the frames of the eighteenth-century sofas still have their original green paintwork. Clarissa chose to replicate this shade on the fabric covering the sofas, commissioning Gainsborough Silk Weaving Co to recreate it on an archive damask design.

• Simon Upton

  An array of supporting beams on a much larger scale were revealed during the restoration of this barn; these became the focus of the decoration scheme. The barn now has a mezzanine bedroom, kitchen, bathroom and sitting room, and is completely separate from the main house. There is something innately country-style about exposed beams whether they be in a Tudor cottage or vast converted barn - make the most of yours today!

• Lucas Allen

  Numerous intricate patterns work well against bold red walls in this library-cum-sitting room, while a rug gives a cosy feel to the reading area. Click to see the rest of this New Zealand house.

• Lucas Allen

  Feminine furniture and decorative details give this drawing room a comfortably elegant feel. The striking antler-design chandelier made by Frank Howell in Sydney is a nod to Jamie's Scottish roots, while the floral upholstery and chestnut flooring add warmth to the room. The table, which is in two halves, comes from Spain and the curtains, chosen by the interior designer Colin Orchard, were created by the London-trained, Auckland-based curtain maker Robert Andrews.

• Lucas Allen

  The elegant drawing room in the Inchyras' country estate has large, comfortable sofas from George Smith, panelled Dutch oil paintings and a chandelier that belonged to James's grandparents. This is a lesson in how to meld comfort with class - Smiths' sofas are soft and inviting while the family heirlooms bring with them a legacy of grandeur. Try this juxtapostion at home today!

• Alexander James

  A simple colour palette of pale-grey is lifted by the mix of fabrics that decorate the cushions on the elegant sofas. The arched bookshelves and collection of paintings instantly add a pop of character. The large windows allows plenty of light in. This room has the airy feel of a country living room despite it's central London location.

• Paul Massey

  'Comfort, colour and a certain carefree attitude are the hallmarks of a good interior', says Kit Kemp, designer of London's hotel of the moment. Kit created this 'layered' style living room, which echoes the eclectic feel of a country living room, by mixing colour, pattern and texture. The handcrafted fabrics and mix of artwork on the walls add life and orginality to the room.

• Paul Massey

  Wanting a place to display her treasured book collection, Emma Burns, senior decorator at Sybil Colefax & John Fowlerhttp://www.sibylcolefax.com/, transformed a converted barn at her country home into a library and guest cottage full of hidden suprises and witty details. The sitting room is flanked by shelves on both sides. The glass-fronted bookcase is from Robert Kime, while the pair of armchairs are upholstered with jajim rugs. See the full story of Emma's cottage here.

• Kit Kemp

  Striped Sofa - Kit Kemp - Living Room Ideas

  When it comes to mixing pattern and colour, hotel designer Kit Kemp - who is behind Ham Yard - is an expert. In her own drawing room (shot for the July 2013 issue of House & Garden), Kit paired a patchwork carpet from the The Rug Company with a striped sofa and an array of patterned cushions. The result is pure modern country chic.

• Andrew Montgomery

  In Serena & William's Foyle's ravishing Cadogan Square apartment, one of William's early self-portraits hangs above the chimneypiece in the drawing room. It is offset by a mixture of traditional and more modern paintings, as well as several eighteenth-and nineteenth-century fans. The cream scheme screams elegant country style.

• Painted figures and objects cover the walls of the living room of Charleston, the low-ceilinged old farm house and country retreat of the Bloomsbury Group, and former child hood home of Quentin Bell - artist, writer and nephew of Virginia Woolf - the father of the artist Cressida Bell, whose work is still influenced by the art that covers every surface of the house.

  The Bloomsbury Group - that amorphous circle of writers, intellectuals and artists who lived and worked in Bloomsbury before the first World War and beyond - spent much of their time at Charleston after 1916, the year that Quentin's mother, Vanessa Bell, and the painter (and Vanessa's lover) Duncan Grant took a long lease on the house, where they remained until Vanessa's death in 1961 and Duncan's in 1978.

  Almost as soon as Vanessa and Duncan moved into Charleston, they began to paint, not just on canvas, but over every available surface - walls, of course, but also tables, chairs, bed heads and bookcases; all glowed with swirls and spirals of colour and pattern, full of life and vitality, that was as far from the conservative, conventional monochrome interior decoration of the time as it was possible to be.

• Simon Upton

  Authentic, English country house style is hard to replicate. It is a look that manages to be both timeless and livable, grand but friendly. Having cut her teeth at Colefax & Fowler it is little wonder then that interior designer Vivien Greenock has managed to get the look spot on in her own home.

  A plethora of pattern - chintz, checks, muted stripes - and strong carpets, soften the eighteenth century paneling, which is painted a shade between duck egg blue and watery green - darker below the dado rail and lighter above. Pictures are perfectly hung. Large imposing portraits on the walls; and small charming watercolours in tight groups around the fireplace.

  Though the room is filled with a plethora of 'stuff ' - pictures, objects, furniture - there is not a jarring note among the crowd. 'Too often the English country look is anonymous - like a country-house hotel,' says Vivien. 'I don't think you can really get the right look without using old things - rugs, paintings and antiques. It is those things that give a room a permanent look, and a depth of feeling. I don't think the things have to be grand - much of the stuff here I have just collected over time - but I do think you have to have a bit of an eye.'

• Simon Brown

  Display what you love, even if it seems out of context. Curiosities in this drawing room belonging to interior designers Philip Vergeylen and Paolo Moschino include two of Paolo's collection of silver tortoises. These curiosities add interest to an otherwise quite traditional country style in the living room.

• Andrew Montgomery

  Wood panelling in the sitting area of the library of Wardington Manor the family home of Bridget Elworthy and now the base for The Land Gardeners' new business venture into cut flowers. Chintz sofas surrounding a grand wooden fireplace make this large space feel cosy and warm. Large windows and cut flowers ensure the dark space is kept bright.

• Tim Beddow

  After visiting Kathryn Ireland in France's Tarn region, Anne Halsey bought a French farmhouse retreat there and enlisted the help of her friend and fabric guru Kathryn to create a relaxed retreat perfect for entertaining. The sitting room is decorated in a mostly neutral scheme, with Kathryn M Ireland's 'Quilt' fabric on the armchair and 'Tonal Ticking' on the sofas.

• Luke White

  It takes courage to combine pink walls with eighteenth- century plasterwork, an orange patterned rug, textiles that call to mind Liquorice Allsorts and Georgian reproduction furniture. But it certainly works in this magnificent house. The paintings are by Robert Doble.

• Tim Beddow

  The furniture arrangement in this cosy living room couldn't be better for encouraging convivial gatherings. Robert Kime is a friend of the owner and helped him decorate this house near Dartmoor. While the colours veer towards the neutral end of the spectrum, the bold red ottoman is a strong centrepiece.

• Simon Brown

  The drawing room of Holker Hall in Cumbria has a layered look built up over generations. While time is an invaluable ally of this aesthetic, a considered approach to buying furniture and decorative accessories can speed up the process. This room features nineteenth-century Cantonese watercolours, suzani textiles and chintz, silk damasks and gloriously ornate eighteenth-century plant stands.

• Paul Massey

  A large painting by Irish artist Martin Finnin hangs in the living room of a tiny barn on the edge of a Gloucestershire meadow, decorated by antiques dealer and designer Christopher Howe. The space is filled with varied treasures collected by the designer, providing its owners with an idyllic and rustic country bolt-hole.

• Paul Massey

  A 'Sussex' bench by William Morris and a linocut by Edward Bawden stand out against the panelling in this this Arts & Crafts housedesigned by Ben Pentreath, which is painted in Farrow & Ball's 'Shaded White'.

• Michael Sinclair

  A sense of timelessness combined with simplicity and sophistication characterises Arnaud Zannier's collection of hotels, as well as his shoe business. It is a design ethos reflected in his family home near Ghent. Exposed beams add an element of rustic cosiness to this sitting area in the chalet.

• Simon Brown

  Since moving into her husband's Wiltshire farmhouse, designer Sarah Vanrenen has enhanced its quirky charm, with an adjusted layout and unexpected colours. Julian Chichester's mouth-blown, silver 'Paris' lamp, with a large, gathered silk lampshade, draws attention to one corner of the drawing room. The green ticking stripe fabric on the armchairs is from Ian Mankin, while the chenille throw was bought at a market in France.

  Textiles are used generously on tables as well as on chairs, sofas and cushions, all lit by distinctive lamps and unusual, very pretty lampshades. Indeed, throughout the house, the lampshades call out for attention - unsurprising, given the fact that Sarah's mother is the interior and textile designer Penny Morrison. Her company Irving & Morrison sells a range of one-off lampshades, cushions and textiles. Some of Penny's shades are here, as are others made by Sarah from collected textiles and sari fabrics. 'Lampshades make a house feel really cosy, and if you don't have a lot of money to spend in one go, they are the things to get first to make an instant difference.'

• David Oliver

  Interior designer Virginia Howard had no intention of moving from Knightsbridge to Pimlico, until a nineteenth-century balcony flat garden square changed her mind. In her streamlined and calming living room an Italian marble bust sits on a base designed by George Carter, inspired by scagliola plinths at Holkham Hall in Norfolk. The 'Tangier' rug is from Robert Stephenson. The gentle palette is lifted with patterned details such as the cushions and upholstered chair.

• Alicia Taylor

  This light-filled room in Cameron Kimber's house in New South Wales is used for entertaining. Cameron says the combination of slim shutters, panelling and pale walls was partly inspired by rooms decorated by the late American philanthropist Bunny Mellon. A Bessarabian rug fills a quarter of the floor space, with plain matting elsewhere.

• Lucas Allen

  This earthy living room has a pair of bespoke sofas from Amy Somerville and, between them, a hammered brass Sixties coffee table from Odette Welvaars in Amsterdam. The Beatles portraits in the adjacent sitting room are framed by the doorway.

  Henri Fitzwilliam-Lay, the owner of this Victorian country house in Shropshire has enhanced the interiors of this grand property with her signature mid-century aesthetic without compromising original features.

Country Living Home Designs

Source: https://www.houseandgarden.co.uk/gallery/country-living-rooms